Text for today: Ephesians 2
As I sit and ponder the sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of the world, sins He never committed, nor had any responsibility to cover, I wonder what it is that makes so many "Christians" think that we can do anything to deserve forgiveness and eternal reward.
The first verse starts off with a bang"You has He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins". That sets the stage pretty well for what we brought to God's table while seeking His favor. We have nothing to offer. Why were we dead? Well, we see pretty quickly thereafter that we "walked according to the course of this world" which we know what the "world" means. We all readily admit, before salvation, that we were guilty as charged.
I notice at this point that even the church in Ephesus, that Paul is writing to here, needed to be reminded that they did not deserve the pardon Jesus bought for them at Calvary. When we observe the elements of the Lord's table weekly, this thought permeates all of my mind. I could never deserve forgiveness, no matter how good I acted, no matter how many poor people I clothed or fed, no matter how many people I gave a ride to, or donated food to. This is all good, but would never pay back the debt of sin and bridge the great divide between sinful man and a holy and righteous God. That is a sobering thought.
Verse 4 brings us some brighter days, "God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us" even when we were dead in our sin, unable to gain a breath of life, Jesus came and "quickened us together" with Him. In my Bible the end of verse 5 says in parentheses "by grace are you saved" Talk about an understatement. We don't deserve to SEE heaven, or look upon the God that created us, but He loved us enough to reach down and offer His only Son for me.
God allowed Jesus to leave paradise, to be born in a human body, and live for 30+ years, all to fulfill the plan that was put into action so many years before. God knew Eve would blow it, and Adam would follow. God knows all, and to suppose that this took Him by surprise is to doubt the sovereignty of God. With this knowledge, God still created Adam and Eve and allowed them to make their own minds up, and thus began the grace that God has shown us all until the present day, and which, through the sacrifice of Christ, will last for eternity.
The promise of verse 6-7 just goes to show the depths of the mercy of our Lord. Verse 8 reminds us again that we could not earn or deserve anything, but God's gift is free. To suppose that we could earn God's favor through works, verse 9 knocks us off our high horse again and even reminds us that we would try to take credit "lest any man should boast" How dare we even attempt to take credit for salvation!
We are again reminded from where we came in the following verses and verse 13 really sums it up well. "But now, in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ" nothing else could bring us before God's throne. Nothing else could pay the debt.
"He is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us" Jesus broke the barrier down for us. The veil was torn in two at the moment of Jesus death, signifying that we had direct access to God through the Son, and Jesus is still our intercessor with the Father. Prayer is directed to the Father, but only by way of Jesus can we approach the throne of grace.
What a thrilling passage reminding us always of what it means when we take the bread and the cup at the Lord's table. I wanted to share this yesterday at chapel, but due to a string of seizures, I could not speak very well. Still, I know God knows my heart, and maybe I will be able to share this here so that others will realize how crucial the remembrance of Jesus body, broken and spilled out for us, truly is. For those who have seen "communion" as I had for years, as a ceremony that is about me getting right with God, I pray that you look deeper into the scripture and see that the act of worship is only possible as we empty ourselves of what we desire in the flesh, and pay homage to the Savior that was wounded, beaten, and died to pardon us.
I pray that this has been an encouragement, but also a challenge, lest we ever forget what it is we celebrate at the Lord's table. And don't forget that the best part of all is that Jesus didn't just die, but He rose from the grave, defeating death forever. We have the promise not only of forgiveness and salvation, but of life eternal if we only truly believe and receive this gift of life. When we offer ourselves on the altar of God, wholly committed to His work and seek His will for our lives, we are promised not only salvation, but eternal reward, and we certainly don't deserve that.
What an amazing story! What an encouragement Paul gives to his friends in Ephesus. And what a challenge to never forget, never take for granted the time we come together to worship. I would encourage anyone interested in true worship and the reality of the Lord's table, please find a copy of "His dying request" and read it prayerfully and with an open and honest heart. It is a short book, but it helped open my eyes to what I was missing in my Christian walk.
I need some sleep, I may write again tomorrow. Please email me with questions or comments.May God richly bless as you continue serving Him.
Mark
